


John doe x Reader - Be Safe

by TheJokersEnigma



Category: Batman: The Telltale Series (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, John Doe - Freeform, John doe x reader - Freeform, Joker - Freeform, Tumblr request, chubby!reader, protective!John doe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-07 02:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14661627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJokersEnigma/pseuds/TheJokersEnigma
Summary: This was a request from a tumblr follower:‘Hi! Could you do a protective! John Doe x chubby! Reader that gets scared when fights happens cause she doesn’t want John to get hurt? Also she is self conscious about her body? Preferably vigilante John? I’m so sorry if this is lame!’





	John doe x Reader - Be Safe

“Be safe.” You murmured to John, your hands on his shoulders, and you stretched you on your tiptoes to kiss his pale cheek in farewell, the worry clear in your voice.

John Doe just grinned down at you as you fell back down onto your heels. “Always.” He grinned excitedly - apparently sharing none of your concerns for what he was going to do – and you know watched anxiously as he turned and walked to the car that stood waiting behind him.

“Bruce!” You called, grabbing the man’s armoured arm as he now walked past you, making him pause in surprise, turning back to you. “Watch him, will you?” You pleaded desperately, glancing over at where John now slipped into the passenger seat of the car, disappearing from view behind the black tinted windows. “You know reckless he gets.” You muttered.

“I will, [Y/N].” Bruce swore. “I promise.” He said, placing his hand on your own arm in return and giving it a reassuring squeeze. You managed a weak smile thanks and let him go then, watching his cape swinging behind him as he climbed into his signature car, raising your hand in farewell as the engine roared into life and the Batmobile accelerated out of the cave.  
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You knocked on the mansion door anxiously, then shifted on your feet impatiently until one side of the large double doors was finally pulled open and Alfred Pennyworth stepped into view. “Miss [L/N],” He greeted in surprise, “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“Uh - Hi Alfred, sorry to bother you,” You apologised, “I – I just wanted to know if Bruce and John were back yet?”

“I believe Master Wayne is in the office,” Alfred told you, simultaneously gesturing you into the cavernous entrance way of Wayne mansion. “Most likely making a pigs-ear of patching himself up.” He muttered, closing the door behind you.

“Is John with him?” You asked, glancing back at the butler.

Alfred turned back to you with a frown. “I don’t believe so, Miss,” He told you, “Is everything ok?” He asked, concerned.

“I – I haven’t seen John since last night.” You confessed anxiously, glancing around again, as though searching for a sign of his presence in the mansion, hoping Alfred was mistaken. “I just thought maybe they’d just been delayed.” You explained worriedly, “But if Bruce is back…”

“Let us go talk to Master Wayne.” Alfred suggested, holding out an arm behind you, “Maybe he can shed a light on this situation?” He questioned kindly and you gave a small nod, letting yourself be led down the hallway towards Bruce’s office.

You waited as Alfred wrapped his knuckles smartly on the partially closed door, a moment later hearing the familiar deep voice beckon you in. Alfred lead you in, “Miss [L/N] is here.” He announced formally to Bruce where he was hunched over some paperwork, his arm conveniently hidden under his desk. “She has come enquiring into the – uh – ‘Joker’s’ whereabouts.”

“John?” Bruce glanced up in surprise.

“I haven’t seen him.” You explained, now stepping forward to stand next to Alfred. “I was hoping he was with you?”

Bruce glanced to Alfred, as though silently seeking help from his butler and guardian, knowing you weren’t going to like what he was about to say. He lifted his injured arm back onto his desk and you could see the discoloured bruises marked along his muscles. “He didn’t come back with me,” Bruce confessed, “- He said he needed to pick up some equipment from his ‘people’.”

“When did you last see him?”

Bruce frowned. “Not since last night - I assumed he was with you.” He confessed.

You shook your head, your heart picking up its pace. “I-I haven’t seen or heard from him.” You choked out, feeling the tears watering your eyes as all the worst-case scenarios flooded through your mind. You felt Alfred’s arm wrap around you shoulders comfortingly and you turned to bury your head in his chest, feeling the tears building in your eyes.

Bruce stood up, worried to see you so upset, and exchanged another look with Alfred over the top of your head. Alfred patted your back reassuringly as Bruce now slowly made his way out from behind his desk and over to you. “It’ll be alright, [Y/N],” Bruce tried to convince you, “John knows these streets well – he - he probably just got distracted by something.” He suggested encouragingly. “Look, I’ll tell you what, I’ll take a car and go look for him myself.” 

You lifted your head, your eyes red and puffy, “Really?” You sniffed, “I- I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“John is just as much my responsibility as yours, [Y/N].” Bruce told you firmly. “And I promised I’d watch him for you and I failed.” He said seriously.

You opened your mouth to protest this, but Alfred now spoke up. “How about we get you a cup of strong tea, Miss?” Alfred suggested, “You can stay here until Master Bruce returns.”

You shook your head, stepping away from him now. “No – uh – I think I’d better be at home in case – in case John comes back?” You sniffed, wiping your damp eyes.

The men exchanged unsure glances between each other again. “Are you sure, Miss [L/N]?” Alfred implored.

You nodded, “I’ll be fine, just – just let me know as soon as you know anything?” You asked pleaded, looking beseechingly to Bruce.

“Of course.” He murmured with a nod of his head.

You thanked them both again with a watery smile before heading for the door, Alfred following on behind to see you out.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You did as you said you would, returning home, but you didn’t stay for long, unable to stand sitting on your lazy behind whilst John was missing. Bruce was only one man after all, it would take him forever to search the whole of Gotham - you weren’t even sure he knew where John’s ‘people’ were.

But you did – and surely that was the best place to start? To see if he actually had been by there before he disappeared?

So, that’s where you headed now, catching a bus to the outskirts of town and following the route you had walked with John previously, to the slum-like collection of tin awnings stretching out into one of the many narrow alleyways.

It was too early for the black market to be alive yet, but a few people lingered for an early set up, eying you suspiciously as you moved through the shambles, pulling your coat tighter around your body. You never liked coming here – you were self-conscious at any time, but here it truly felt like people looked at you like a sack of meat, their glares disgusting and intimate. It was enough to make you shiver with nausea and you hated that John’s men had chosen this area to set up shop. But it was cheap – most people not wanting to risk the neighbour for the low rent. John’s people knew this area well though – most of them having grown up around here and worked the black market at one time or another. If you were willing to play the game right, you could make some decent money from setting up shop here – though you could also easily land a lifetime in prison if you couldn’t hide you and your merchandise quickly enough or lose your life if you asked too high a price from the wrong criminal.

You ducked under a series of metal poles that hung up a particularly unstable piece of roofing and slipped through a door, the lock broken off it and a large gouge out of wood allowing you to see into the corridor beyond. The hallway was empty and barren of anything but creaking floor boards and peeling wallpaper and you didn’t linger, quickly trotting up the uneven staircase onto the first, then second level, knocking at the familiar faded blue door.

You heard the muffled sound of a conversation on the other side of the door and you knew you were being examined through the scratched peephole. You struggled to make out any words, but then you heard a series of locks and bolts being undone and the door was pulled open to reveal a balding man framed in the doorway, his face painted like a traditional circus clown.

His frown turned into a friendly smile when he confirmed it was you behind the door. “Hiya [Y/N], ‘avn’t seen ya ‘round ‘ere for a while!” Willy exclaimed, stepping aside to let you into the small run-down flat, then shutting the door behind you, ensuring the locks were all back in place.

“Well, you know how much of a fan I am of this place, Willy.” You smirked sarcastically and the man nodded with grin.

“Yeah, it’s a wreck, but it works.” He shrugs now walking past you, leading you down a very short corridor and into the main room of the flat – probably originally used as a living room, but now functioned as a meeting room and workshop. There was a rickety kitchen table surrounded by a variety of different chairs in one corner, the rest of the room mainly devoted to multiple tables that seemed to create a form of production line, the surfaces covered in tools and items in various stages of production.

You strolled cautiously into the room, never being here without John, and picked up a ‘Jokerrang’ that had been shaped, but not yet painted, and examining it as Willy grabbed an empty smoke bomb and pushed himself up to sit on of the tables, continuing his painting of the little purple casing, his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth as he concentrated.

You put the sharpened throwing device back down and turned, ready to Willy the true reason behind you visit, when a woman walked into the room in front of you, a chipped mug in her hand. “So, it was you.” She drawled moodily, barely glancing at you as she made her way over to one of the two beaten armchairs by the filthy, single glazed window, dropping onto one of the cushions and causing a thick plume of dust to jump into the air. She didn’t seem to notice or care. “Wondered why the room went dark.” She sneered.

Willy glanced reprovingly at Lauren and you rolled your eyes having heard it before and knowing her bitter attitude towards you well. Her cruel comments had hurt when John had first introduced you to her, but now they just slid off you, knowing they all came from the women’s own insecurities, and most of them didn’t make sense anyway. Despite his though, you couldn’t help feeling a slight pang at the comments – most of them aimed at your weight which was a sensitive enough subject for you.

“So,” Lauren declared, taking a large sip from her mug which you highly doubted contained tea or coffee, “wha’s your fat ass doin’ ‘ere?” She slurred – great she was even more nasty when she was drunk.

“I’m looking for Joker.” You told them, and Willy glanced up from his painting.

“He ain’t with you?” He asked, bewildered.

That didn’t give you much hope. “No, apparently he told batman he was coming here - you haven’t seen him?”

“Well – yeah – we did – he came by for some supplies,” Willy told you “-s’why we’re fresh out,” He gestured around the room at the bits and bobs scatter around. “But ‘e left.”

“Did he say where he was going?”

“Well - uh…” Billy trailed off, glancing guiltily at Lauren - who wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, lost in her mug - “’e was talkin’ ‘bout somethin’ but – uh,” He shot you a look, then dropped his head, “ – wa’n’t payin’ ‘ttention…” He confessed embarrassed – “got distracted.’

“You didn’t catch anything? Anything that might help me find him?”

“Jus’ ‘eard y’ur name – s’why I thought ‘e’s with you.” Billy shrugged.

You sighed heavily, your plan having led to a dead end. “Fine, ok, I’ll just have to go look for him.” You said, turning for the door again.

Suddenly Lauren perked up - as though someone had just slapped her awake. “Are ya sure John’s missin’, maybe he ran away from you? Figured out ‘e could do better than a hippo?!” She called cruelly, hiccupping.

“Nice to see you’re awake.” You muttered back at her, not bothering to turn, pulling at the locks on the door. Your comment seemed to shut her up for a moment and you were able to leave in comparable peace, calling goodbye to Willy – sure he hadn’t been much use, and he wasn’t the brightest guy, but his heart was in the right place most of the time.

The market was starting to come to life now as you stepped back out into the alley - far more people milling the streets as the night drew it in. You hugged you coat against you tightly as the cold wind was tunnelled down the small street, and you kept your head down as you edged through the different stalls popping up around you.

The sooner you were out of this part of town, the better. In fact, the sooner you were home, the better – no place in Gotham being particular safe on your own, especially once the sun has gone down.

But John was still out there - alone or in trouble most likely.

But at least Batman would be searching for him – he was far more equipped than you were - especially now your lead had fallen through. You should go home and wait, even if you didn’t sleep at all.

So, you headed home, comforting yourself by taking the longer way home, searching as you did so - hoping by some miracle you catch a glimpse of John running across the room tops over ahead, or darting down an alleyway. Hell, you were happy to have a crime take place in front of you if it met John would show himself.

You couldn’t quit the niggling in your head of what Lauren had said, though – even if she was just a spiteful child – about the possibility of John having left you. It didn’t make any sense though – there had been no signs that he wasn’t happy with you. But then, why would he be happy with you? You were far from perfect – maybe he did have a problem with your weight? He was so slim and agile after all, what about you could possibly appeal to someone like him?

Maybe he had left you…

You could feel your throat closing up as you let the thoughts float around in your mind, the silent, empty streets providing no distraction from them. John had never commented on your weight before - when you voiced your insecurities he would always dismiss them as ridiculous and made jokes till you laughed, but maybe he was just too nice to speak his mind? Maybe Lauren was right…? Maybe she wasn’t wholly spiteful and in fact spoke some truth?

So, should you be looking for John if maybe he didn’t even want to be found?

Yes. You should be at least owed an explanation, he shouldn’t be such a coward and run from you like this - the least he could do is say it your face. It would hurt, but maybe that would be closure.

You would find that jerk.

You were fuelled by anger now, and you stomped down the streets, glaring down every alleyway and scanning the roof tops. Your phone was still quiet, no word from Bruce or Alfred. They hadn’t found him yet either.

When you finally paused to work out where you were, you realised in your anger, you’d walked straight past your flat and on down several more streets. You considered turning back, but you knew you wouldn’t sleep - too pent up, your mind too active - and the walking was almost therapeutic. You would do a large circle around to get back to your flat, continuing your search whilst you were at it.

So, you continued on, and, as you weaved in and out of the streets, hours passing, you found yourself no longer bothering to listen out for your phone every second, and several times you had to actually remind yourself what you were searching for. You past people coming back from offices, and others heading out for their night on the town - even noticing a few shadier figures passing you by, when you didn’t bother them, they in turn didn’t bother you.

You became so use to the foot traffic - finding safety in it even with the slightly more suspicious looking characters - that you felt yourself becoming anxious when the streets emptied again, finding yourself glancing over your shoulder at shadows you thought had moved, or your own footsteps that sounded like someone behind you.

That was when you made the decision then that you would now head home and stay home. It was late. Too late. You still had a fair distance to cover though, and so you picked up your pace, cutting down the alleys you knew well, not risking the others, and trying to take the safest routes you could.

But Gotham wasn’t safe.

The punch hit you out of nowhere, blurring your vision and sending you colliding with the nearest wall, luckily managing to throw your hands out in time to stop your head colliding with the bricks. There was a cruel laugh from beside you and a chorus of chuckles that told you your attacker wasn’t alone. You tried to blink your vision back into focus, your temple throbbing painfully.

“Look’s like we caught ourselves a little piggy.” The deep voice came from the darkness where you could just make out a man who looked a lot like Willy - his face half lit from the streetlight on the main street to your right.

You guessed this was the man that had punched you.

“Let’s see if she’s got any bacon…” He sneered with a cruel smile, a metal tooth flashing in the limited light, but you could also see he was missing several others. There was another chorus of laughter at this – clearly this man was a hoot to his entourage.

You spun to face him straight on now, your back pressed up against the wall behind you, glancing anxiously around - desperately trying to see a way of out of where you were trapped - but any escape was blocked by other dark figures.

They had you cornered against the wall, and they seemed to be closing in on you.

Maybe you could run at them suddenly - take them by surprise? Gold-tooth now flicked his wrist, and you heard the familiar sound of a switchblade opening before the metal even caught the light. You quickly dismissed your previous idea, swallowing nervously as a fresh wave of panic wash through you, praying you were one of the lucky ones that Bruce would notice and swoop down to the rescue.

That was looking increasingly less likely though - after all, you’d given him a different task to focus on tonight.

This was karma - especially when you knew you should have gone home hours ago. But you pushed your luck, and now you would pay for it.

“Whatta ya say Bitch, gonna roll over and play dead, or we gotta make ya dead?” Gold-tooth asked, tilting his head with a sick smile, his eyes flicking up and down you, holding the knife aloft to sweeten the threat.

You cringed further back into the bricks, desperately calling on any memories you had of self-defence moves, when something suddenly came flying through the shadows, and you heard a clink of metal on metal - Gold-tooth gasping in pain as he dropped his hand and his was sent clattering into a corner of the alley, along with something else.

The balding man now instinctively turned, his hand flying to the gun at his side, pulling it out of his pocket and aiming it into the shadows behind him, then at the fire escapes on the wall, and then up at the narrow gap between the buildings above you. The rest of his men followed suit, pulling out their own weapons and, together, all six of them now covered any possible hiding places in the alley.

“Who’s there?!” Gold-tooth growled angrily into the darkness.

Suddenly there was a flash of shadow above you as something jumped the narrow gap between the roofs, your heart leaping as all the gun muzzles now snapped skyward. “It’s the bat, I saw ‘im!” One of men exclaimed, something anxious in his voice, like he was now rethinking his involvement in all of this.

“Where?!”

“Up there! On the roof!” All the men were watching the sky now, keen for any slight movement. Suddenly one of the men fell to the floor with a cry of pain, then was abruptly reeled across the alleyway by something attached to his ankle, disappearing around the corner of the last building and out onto the main street.

You heard a cry of pain and then there was silence again.

The men all looked at each other, not sure where to run in for an attack, stand their ground, or make a run for it. They looked to Gold-tooth for instruction, but he didn’t acknowledge their beseeching looks, instead staring angrily down the alley to where the man had been pulled away. “Guppy, Trig.” He growled, without taking his eyes off the mouth of the alleyway “Check it out.” He instructed. The men whose nicknames Gold-tooth had called out, now took a few reluctant steps forward, their guns aimed at the end of the alley, though their hands were unsteady – unsurprisingly not wanting to go toe-to-toe with the famous Bat of Gotham.

You and the rest of the men now watched them move slowly and cautious down towards the main street, stepping warily out of the alley, one swing their gun down to the right-hand side of the street, the other swinging to the left.

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, but just as the men seemed to go to relax, you saw something drop just out of sight behind the wall on the left, landing in front of one of the men who cried out as he was grabbed and wrestled out of sight. The other man turned at his companion’s cry, aiming his gun at where the struggle was going on out of sight, but unable to shoot without hitting his friend.

“Shoot it!” Gold-tooth roared, and the petrified man opened fire.

The shadowy figured jumped out of the way of the hail of bullets, rolling and landing in a crouch directly opposite the mouth of the alley, throwing something at the shooter who had now turned to flee back into the alley. The projectile seemed to imbed in the shooter’s lower leg and he stumbled as he ran, the attacker in hot pursuit behind him.

“Let’s get outta here!” You heard one of the men near you cry, and he turned with his remaining companion to flee.

“No!” Gold-tooth yelled, “It ain’t the bat!” This made the men pause and glance back, and you followed their eye line to where the mysterious figure had now leapt at the gunman, landing on top of him in a small patch of road lit by the nearby streetlight. He was a good distance away from you, but you could still make out the familiar long purple overcoat, pale skin and flash of green gelled hair. You felt your heart soared at the sight of John Doe even if you were supposed to be mad at him and you weren’t sure if you were gladder he was ok, or that he was rescuing you.

“Ya right! It’s the clown!”, “We can take ‘im!” You heard the men call, and any relief you felt at seeing John was quickly lost as the men’s guns were trained on where the ‘Joker’ crouched. You felt your heart fill with dread – John might have been able to take them out from the shadows, but now he was in the open - no more shadows to hide in - and all the attention was on him with no Batman for backup.

Joker had stilled where he still pinned the shooter to the ground - though the man’s body didn’t move – and he glanced up at the guns aimed at him, his wide, insane grin catching the limited light.

“Game over, clown boy.” Gold tooth growled. “Get up!” He snarled, motioning with his gun.

John giggled to himself as you watched him slowly get to his feet, raising his gloved hands in surrender, his grin still in place and eyes bright with excitement.

“You’re crazy, freak!” Gold tooth snarled through gritted teeth, “Probably best we put you outta ya misery…” He sneered, and you heard the familiar click of his gun.

“Crazy?!” John repeated, offended, “Freak?!” He growled, his eye darkening. “I’m justice!” He snarled, suddenly kicking by his foot, sending it flying towards the group of men as he dove for cover behind a large industrial bin on his left.

Bullets fired through the hazy purple smoke that now issued forth from the decorated bomb – similar to the one you’d seen Willy painting in the workshop - and you made the most of cover the haze offered, sinking down into a crouch, staying where the fog was thickest, and slipping past the men and around the bin where you’d seen Joker disappear.

John’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw you and then you were suddenly pulled into his arms in a crushing hug. In that moment you forgot everything and just relaxed into the familiar embrace, hiding your face in his shirt and breathing in his comforting scent.

“I’m so glad you’re ok.” You mumbled against his chest, feeling the water in your eyes again.

“Me?” He asked in surprise, pulling back to look down at you.

“The clown is gone!” One of the men suddenly exclaimed from the other side of your hiding place and Joker giggled quietly next to you. “And the bitch!” Another exclaimed - the smoke clearly having already dispersed enough for them to see reasonably well now.

John scowled. “I told Willy to make the smoke heavier!” He growled to himself, “– and a different shade of purple!” He exclaimed, his eyes looking past you to a trail of smoke that drifted past the edge of the bin, dancing in the light. You felt the corner of your mouth twitch at this – the shock clearly going to your head and making you a bit giddy. “Hold tight, buddy.” John giggled and - before you could protest - he suddenly leapt grandly up onto the dumpster and you only watch in horror as another hail of bullets followed him as he then grabbed onto the fire escape above, pulling himself up.

“You know it’s rude to corner people in alleyways!” John sneered at the men, now leaping over their heads onto the opposite fire escape dropping another smoke bomb into their midst as he did so.

“This bloody smoke!” Gold tooth cried angrily as he lost Joker again.

“Where’d he go?”

“I can’t see him!”

“He went that way!”

This must have been one of Willy’s new improved smoke grenades because it seemed much thicker and even swept around the bin now, blinding you as well.

“Maybe this’ll teach you not to mess with my girl!” John growl somewhere above you, then you heard something that sounded like a zipline and something thudded into the bin behind you with a cry of pain, making you jump and jolting the metal against your back.

You heard Joker’s laugh loud and clear then, echoing around you as the sound bounced off the alleyway walls, making it impossible to tell where he was.

“There! I saw him!”

“Where?! Where?!”

“He’s attacking from abo-“ The man was cut off as he apparently hit the floor, knocking the air out of his lungs.

“No tattling!” John reprimanded angrily then suddenly let out a childishly giggle.

There was noise all around you now, the men shouting, gunfire, the sound of John’s grappling claw. You had your eyes screwed shut as you listened, not able to see anyway, but you then suddenly felt drop next to you, brushing your arm. Your eyes snapped open and you covered your mouth with one hand to swallow your scream as John leaned in towards you could make out his face through the fog. He grinned and help a finger to his lips.

“Where he’d go now?”

“Shoot for the fire escapes!”

“Where are they?!”

“Up! Just shoot up!”

John was shaking with silent giggles next to you and you could only stare at him in amazement at how much he was enjoying all of this whilst you were terrified for not only your life, but his as well. “What are you doing?!” You whispered angrily at him.

He looked at you, his mouth forming an ‘O’ like he’d been caught red-handed, apparently surprised by your anger. Just then, there was shout close to the side of the bin, drawing John’s attention before he could say anything. “Joker!” You whispered angrily as he now slipped out from behind the bin. You crawled to the edge of your hiding place, daring to peer around at the fight scene, the smoke having dispersed somewhat now to give you sight of at least shapes. There were two bodies down and two standing, one – based on the size – was the leader who you’d nicknamed Gold-tooth. He was closet to you and spun in circles with his gun raised, searching for any movement that might give away John. The other man copied his boss, though his attention was largely upwards on the fire escapes.

You heard John’s giggle in the darkness again. “Macro!” He sang, and you cursed him, wishing he would shut up and not draw attention to himself. Both men snapped their guns in different directions, his voice echoing around them, distorting the direction. Gold-tooth was stepping back towards where you crouched, his attention in front of him and you automatically shifted backwards, jumping lightly as your hand brushed something cold and smooth. You jumped at first but then recognised the shape and sharp edges. A Jokerrang. You slipped it into your hand, feeling its weight, knowing you didn’t have enough practise to throw it - but you knew how to use a knife. You edged back to the corner of the bin, watching Gold-tooth carefully, biding your time, waiting for the best position.

“You’re supposed to say Polo!” The Joker growled, suddenly dropping onto the other gunman at the opposite end of the alley. Gold-tooth’s attention snapped to him but, before he could take a shot, you leapt at him, sinking the jokerrang through the muscle of his shoulder. The man cried out in agony, jolting forward from your weight, the gun going off, but the bullets shooting into the ground.

Your attack, however, wasn’t enough to take the man down and he straightened up in anger, spinning to reach for you, so you flung yourself back onto his back, hugging your arms around his neck - attempting to hold on as long as possible so at least he wouldn’t be able to shoot you.

You could feel his thick, sausage-like fingers scratching at your side, trying to get hold of you and pull you off, but you tried to ignore the pain scratches, holding on with all your might. Suddenly the man’s knees seemed to buckle underneath you with another cry of pain from him. He fell to his knees - your added weight jolting on his back and forcing his chest to the floor as well – and you landed heavily on top of him, the jokerrang slicing painfully against your shoulder where it still stuck out of his Gold-tooth’s back.

You released the man and rolled onto the cold tarmac next to him, panting for breath as you stared up at the small gap between the buildings above you. There a sickening crack next to you as the Joker sent a firm, well aimed kick to Gold tooth’s head, knocking him unconscious.

“[Y/N]?” John asked from above you. “[Y/N]?!” He called desperately when he saw your eyes were closed, placing a hand on your shoulder and shaking you earnestly, his voice almost heart-breaking.

You blinked your eyes open - suddenly seeming to remember you could - and saw John hovering directly above you, straddling your lap. You smiled happily to see nothing immediately wrong with him and threw your arms around his neck him, taking him by surprising and momentarily pulling him down towards you, his eyes wide. He suddenly grinned and wrapped his arms around your back to return the hug, resting his head on your shoulder and sitting back, pulling you with him so you ended up basically sat in his lap, your arms still around his neck and your head against his chest.

You let yourself have a few moments before you pulled back and slapped him.

“Ow! Geez!” John cried in pain, raising one hand to his face, the other still around your back, keeping you upright. “What was that?!” He exclaimed.

“That was for leaving me without having the decency to tell me!” You growled, now weakly pushing yourself out of his arms. He let you get so far, but when you went to stand, he dropped his hand to your wrist, stopping you. “Let me go!” You snapped, yanking your arm from his grip.

John’s look of hurt on his face nearly broke your heart, but you still turned away, knowing you needed to put space between you and him. “[Y/N]…” He almost begged and you couldn’t help faltering. John made the most of your pause, scrambling to his feet. “Wait! Uh – I’m- I’m sorry…?” He guessed, confused.

“Is that a question?” You demanded, glancing slightly back at him.

“Uh – no – no!” He back tracked quickly. “I - I just wanted to – to surprise you!” He explained.

“Well, it certainly was a surprise!” You exclaimed angrily, spinning back around to face him, not believing his gall.

“Well, I – I gotta admit I thought you’d act differently…” He mumbled, rubbing the back of neck sheepsihly, his eyes on the floor.

“Really? How am I supposed to act?! Gratefully?! You didn’t even give me the courtesy of explaining why!” You cried furiously.

“I – I thought it was obvious…” John mumbled, keeping his head down, but shooting you a glance up through his eyelashes like a guilty child. “I want to protect you.” He beseeched earnestly.

“How is you breaking up with me in anyway protecting me?!” You exclaimed angrily.

John’s head snapped up at that. “What?!” He exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide. He opened and close his mouth like a goldfish for a moment, not sure what to say “N- no!” He finally managed shaking his head and waving his hand back and forth, “I’m – I’m not breaking up with you!”

You frowned. “You’re not?”

“No!” He cried as though the idea was ridiculous. “You’re – you’re my girl!” He exclaimed, then a look of doubt crossed his face, “Aren’t you?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, his face heart-braking.

“I thought I was…” You mumbled, dropping your eyes.

“You are!” He insisted eagerly, nodding his head.

“Then why… why did you leave?” You asked, tears welling in your eyes again.

“I didn’t leave!” He insisted, “I – I…” He paused taking a deep breath, “Hooo…” He said, letting out a long sigh. “Ok, ok – I – I spent the day trying to bring more people to justice…” He explained, almost embarrassed. “Make Gotham safer! For you!” He insisted with a grin, gesturing at you as though you should be pleased about this.

“You spent the whole day risking your life?!” You demanded, and John’s grin dropped again, seeing that he was now in trouble for another reason.

“Well… N-no – turns out, not much crime happens in the middle of the day…” He mumbled with a grimace.

“Then what-“

“It – it hasn’t been easy for me,” John suddenly confessed, taking you by surprise, “-being with you.”

“You don’t want to be with me?”

“No, No! I do!” He amended quickly, raising his hands, palms facing you. “I - I just…!” He trailed off, “I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt…” He murmured sadly, dropping his eyes again.

You glowered silently at the man for a moment, before you then finally took the few quick steps needed to close the distance between the two of you and threw your arms back around his neck, ignoring the pain that shot through your shoulder.

You felt your tears escape and roll down your cheeks, but you didn’t care, just hugging him tighter. “Are you alright?” You murmured next to his ear.

“You’re - you’re asking me? Again?” He asked in surprise. “I – I should be asking you!” He exclaimed, “You just jumped on a man with a gun!”

You pulled back to look at him, keeping your arms loosely around his neck. “You would have done it.” You muttered with a small smirk.

He opened into his mouth to protest but seemed at loss as to what to say. “That’s… – that’s different!”

“How?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I – I…” He floundered for a good reason but seemed to come up empty. “It just is!” He pouted, annoyed.

You raised an eyebrow at this poor attempt at an argument, unable to help your quiet snort of derisive laughter. “Now you know how I feel…” You mumbled, moving your hand to brush dust off the shoulder of his coat, unable to look him in the eye. John watched you with a look of surprise, not sure what to say, finally seeming to see your point. “So, you’re not hurt?” You finally murmured again, changing the subject.

“Barely a scratch.” He told you proudly with a grin, then his face dropped again. “Are you?” He asked, suddenly concerned.  
“My shoulder hurts.” You admitted.

“Where?” He demanded quickly, pulling away from you, and you sighed as he held you at arm’s length, his eyes running over you urgently until they fell on your injured shoulder. You let him examine the wound - it was a shallow cut really, but it had bled through your sleeve.

“It’s fine – really.” You dismissed, batting his hand out of the way after a while, but John noticed something, catching your hand and turning it to expose your palm. “Jokerrang - again.” You said in explanation for the similar cuts on your hand where you had gripped the blade-like edges, gesturing with your free arm to where the weapon was still impaled in Gold-tooth where he lay knocked out. John just stared at it in shock, letting out a nervous giggle which made the corner of your mouth twitch.

“So – uh – does this mean you don’t mind I’m… overweight?” You now asked cautiously – needing to know - as he tended to your cuts with the minor first aid supplies you insisted he carried alongside his other equipment. He was surprising good at doctoring and it made you worry about how much practise he must have gotten.

“What?!” He asked looking up at you like you were mad. “W-why would you even ask something like that, [Y/N]?” He demanded, almost angrily.

You were slightly taken aback by his response. “I-I guess L-lauren put the idea in my head.” You confessed. “I went by the workshop trying to find you.” You explained.

John scowled as he turned his attention back to your hand. “Sounds like me and Lauren need to have a little talk…” He growled through gritted teeth, his grip on you tightening slightly but you made no comment. “There we go! All better!” He exclaimed, suddenly grinning again as he released your hand. “Well, sorta…” he admitted, his smile faltering slightly.

You rubbed the new bandage over your hand nervously. “S-so you don’t wish I was… smaller?”

“If you were any smaller, you’d be even more fragile!” He exclaimed, “And then I’d be even more worried! Certainly, wouldn’t be able to take down a guy like that!” He gestured down at the knocked-out Gold-tooth with a sinister giggle.

“You did most of the work.” You pointed out.

“We make an awesome team,” He grinned widely at you. “Maybe even better than batman.” He giggled.

“So, does that mean I’m allowed on the team?” You teased him with a grin.

John’s face faltered, thinking you were serious, “Uh…”

“I’m joking!” You reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning in to kiss his cheek, feeling him relax under your touch. “Now listen to me,” You said, moving both hands to the lapels of his coat, straightening them out, stroking the material down. “I get you want to save everyone – I’m especially honoured you want to save me in particular,” You murmured, “but you’re only one man, ok?” You glanced up at his face where he watched you worriedly. “You have to accept that you can’t control everything, and you can’t always save everyone.” You stressed, pulling slightly on his jacket to emphasize what you were saying. “But – whatever happens – you are always my hero, ok?” You told him, pulling yourself by your hands to place a kiss at the corner of his mouth. “And no more solo missions.” You growled against him.

John let out a quiet giggle. “No more late-night strolls and you have yourself a deal.” He murmured, feeling him grin devilishly beneath your lips.

“Deal.” You murmured, and John turned his head, his lips finding yours and kissing you full on.

**Author's Note:**

> All I can say is Phew! 13 pages and 6991 words later, and it’s done! I’m not going to lie, when I first wrote it I thought it was a lot better than it is haha but rereading it for the edit I’m worried it’s a bit shit…. haha and the ending especially is a bit rushed, but hopefully you understand why haha


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